Old blame game not working for citizens

Sequestration was never put forward as a sensible policy for reducing our deficit, but as a reality check for both parties.

As the sequester deadline passes, we can continue to point fingers — gear up the blame game — and dig our partisan trenches, or we can choose to do better. I hate to make my tea party friends uncomfortable by using a word they consider dirty, but with a little compromise, we can solve this. Without compromise, the $85 billion sequester could lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP), raise unemployment and flatten our fragile economic recovery.

A balanced approach to deficit reduction will help support the American people through job creation, economic growth and a strong middle class, while responsibly reducing our debt.

House Democrats have proposed balanced solutions that include repealing subsidies for big oil, implementing the Buffet Rule so middle-class families don’t pay higher tax rates than the wealthy, and refocusing farm subsidies.

Although sequestration takes effect today, the House leadership did not call a vote on a single alternative.

Georgia will be one of the hardest-hit states. This year, Georgia could lose about $55 million in education funding, putting more than 1,000 teacher or aide jobs at risk and affecting tens of thousands of mostly low-income students.

In addition, 2,490 fewer low-income students will receive aid to help pay for college. Head Start services will be eliminated for about 1,700 children. Georgia will lose about $427,000 in grants for police officers on our streets.

Perhaps most devastating, Georgia will lose about $873,000 in funding for job search assistance, meaning 33,160 fewer people will get the help they need to find jobs. More than 35,000 civilian Department of Defense employees will be furloughed, reducing pay by about $190 million. Army base funding will be cut by $233 million, and Air Force operations funding, by $5 million.

I voted for the Budget Control Act that created sequestration. I believed that these terrible cuts would force Congress to compromise. But compromise is not part of the vocabulary these days.

I am proud to have voted for each budget deal — none of which was perfect or even my preferred choice – because I recognized that we must move past our self-inflicted wounds and compromise for the greater good.

This is one of those times we must listen to our better angels. If we don’t, economic growth will slow, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost, and more people will have to rely on government assistance for basic needs.

The Republicans have boxed themselves in, declaring there will be no negotiations and no new revenue on the table. This is the strategy they’ve pursued for the last four years: Obstruct President Barack Obama, inflict pain on the economy and the middle class, and then blame the president and Democrats.

This is exactly the opposite of what Americans are demanding. The people know we can do better.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat, represents Georgia’s 4th District.